Mud guard for shoe heels



Jan. 29, 1929.

w. c. HUNTINGTON MUD GUARD FOR SHOE mm Flled Jan 2l 1928 l IMkJ/ w Patented Jan. 29,1929.

' STA TES PATENT OFFICER] WILLIAM e. nuurrue'rou, or HrusnALn, inmnors.

HUB GUARD FOE SHOEHEELS.

Application filed January 21, 1928. Serial No. 248,311.

la r objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and my invention consists in the features of construction and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the guard in use on a Fig. 2 is a perspective view tached; v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the form of guard shown in Fig. 2 applied to a womans shoe heel;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3, looking from the left; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified of a guard deform of guard, artly folded to show portions of both sur aces. I

in thedrawings I have shown a guard of construction especially designed for the of womens shoes, since womens apparel is particularly subject to damage by mudsplashing, and the tall, slender heels characteristic of their shoes are particularly suited to receive the guard and are particularly apt to flick moisture upward and from the tread surface of the heel as the wearer walks, owing partly to the small radius of curvature of the back portion of the heeltread. v

The guard shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises a unitary body 10, preferably of rubber for repeated use, although flexible, bent paper board or fiber board may be used where it is desired that the guards be used only once and then thrown away, and the body is molded or stamped out to the form shown.

This form provides a heel-receptive opening 11 of half-oval shape and of suitable size substantially to conform to. the horizontal cross section of a shoe heel A taken at a point somewhat above the tread-surface a of the heel, the opening being bounded by the front bar 12, side-parts) 13 and guard-extension 14 of the unitary dy. Projecting from the middle of the front bar 12 into the opening 11 is a tongue 15,

womans shoe; k

heels non-absor giving the resiliency reinforced by.

unitary with the front bar and free'at its tip.- The exact size of the portions of the structure may be varied, of course, but the tongue should 'be quite Wide at its base and the guard-extension 1 L should be sufficiently long and wide so that,-when in position on the shoe heel, it will intercept drops cast tangentially from the back and side curves of tread-surface a in walking. The horseshoe-shaped outline of the body 10 shown in Fig. 2 gives about the maximum effectiveness with the minimum of material,

but the more nearly circular outline illus trated in Fig. 5 is desirable when the' guards are to be packed in c1rcular"van1ty case containers.

I prefer that the rear portion of the guardextension 14: side tending to prevent' accumulation of moisture drops on the rear under-edge 14 of the extension. Such provision may take form as one or more transverse grooves in the under surface of the guard extension as shown in Figs. 2 to 'l, or as projecting shall have provision on its under 16 formed ribs, shown at 16 inzFig. 5, or rows of small projections as shown at 16 in Fig. 5, such forms of transversely extending interruptions of the otherwise-plane surface of the exv tension serving the stated purpose.

The guard is applied to the heel in the manner shown, its opening the bottom of the heel so that its tongue 15 is 11 being forced over bent downwardly, and the clutching action of the heel-contacting portions of the guard very effectively maintain it firmly in intended position, while at the same time giving to the flexible guard a curvature that is advantageous to its functioning. Thus, as the tongue 15 is depressed, it tends to throw upwardly the middle of the front-bar 12, arching said bar slightly,,with, conseqiuent pull upon the sides 13, resulting in a s ight cupping of the guard about a longitudinal axis with its concave side downward and also guard a distinct downward inclination from front to rear, accompanied by a clutching of the bottom edges of opening 11 against the rear and side surfaces of the shoe heel. The tongue 15, making rather extensive friction contact with the front of the shoe heel, and pressed against it by its own the tendency of-the other portions of the guard to spring back to plane position, makes the structure notably capable of self-retention in intended position; especially. so if the body material i be stretchably elastic as in the preferred use of rubber, but very adequately so even when the body material is non-stretchable, al-

though bendably elastic, as in the use of fiber board.

struction, it will be understood that further changes in details maybe made you departure from the spirit of my inv'e on within the scope of the appended cla s;

I claim: 1. A heel-guard comprising a fle ible body having a completely-surrounded heel-receptive opening therein and a flexible tongue projecting into said opening from-the front portion of the guard.

2. A heel guard comprising a unitary body of flexible material shapedto provide a front 1,7o o,499 i bar, side portions and a rear extension completely surrounding a heel-receptive aperture, and a tongue, free at its rear end and integral with the front bar at its front end,

projecting into said opening. v

3. A- heel-guard comprising a rubberbody ofnormally-plane' form. providing a front ba'r, side portions and a rear guard extension surrounding a heel-fitting, square-edge opening and a tongue projecting into said opening from the" middle of the front bar.

4. A heel-guard comprising a unitary body of flexible material having asfront bar, side portions "and a rear guard-extension surrounding a heel-fitting opening, and a tongue extending into said opening from the middle of the front bar, said parts lying normally in substantially a common plane and said guard-extension having transversely arranged provision near its rear end mterruptmg the :plane surface thereof to mimmize drop-formation on the rear edge of the guard extension.

In testimony whereof, I. have subscribed 50 my name. 1

WILLlAM o HUNTINGTON. 

